What is up with this fever? (Way excessive sweating)

[xburtonchic]

Over the past month, I've had a very stubborn fever that refuses to go away. It will break, go away for a few days and I'll be fine, and then it will come back. (Side note: I know this isn't normal, and yes, I have seen the doctor about it. We don't know why it's lasting so long yet since he ordered bloodwork and we are still waiting on the results, but he thinks it's an infection of some sort.) Anyway, alas my fever is again back today. However, this one is a bit different and I don't know what to make of it.

Basically, I woke up drenched in a cold sweat with horrible muscle aches. I wrote it off as heroin withdrawal and didn't even realize I HAD a fever (I didn't feel all the normal symptoms I've come to recognize, like my skin being hotter than usual - although my mom said it does feel really hot, or the inside of my mouth feeling really warm and strange) until I finally took my shot and STILL felt like crap. At which point I realized there was something more going on than just H withdrawal seeing as how that shot should have taken away all of the symptoms, and so I took my temperature on a whim. It was 103.1!! WTF!? I've had fevers as low as 101 recently that felt FAR worse than how I feel now.

Anyway, that's the first thing that's different about it... it's much higher than it normally gets, but doesn't feel that high. The main thing though is the sweating. I've been sweating profusely ALL DAY. It does not let up. I mean, I woke up this morning looking like someone had dumped water on areas of my body that aren't normally known as the "sweat" areas, like the tops of my forearms for example. Since I woke up, every other part of my body is dry as a bone except for my face, which I'm having to wipe off at least once per minute. It gets worse when I allow myself to fall asleep, so I'm trying to avoid napping, but there have been a few times that I've found myself falling asleep by accident. I don't even need to be completely asleep to start sweating. Like an hour ago, I started drifting off and before I even fully fell asleep I was woken up by the sweating sensation. When I fall asleep, the sweating goes from beads of sweat all over my face to literally gushing down my face as if someone had poured a bucket of water on me. I have to use a towel when I wake up, that's how bad it is. Just my hand isn't enough to clear away all of the sweat.

It seems to me like a ridiculous amount of sweat for just napping during the daytime, and even what I'm getting when I'm awake. Like I said, I've had a lot of fevers recently and they have NEVER made me sweat this much except for when they were breaking... which has been at night while I'm asleep, every time, and I haven't noticed until waking up the next morning. But I was apparantly sweating all night last night while I was asleep, and I've been awake for a good 8 hours now, and I'm still sweating buckets. I didn't have the fever last night, so clearly, it's not because the fever is breaking... I mean, it JUST started. And it's not just sweating, I'm having horrible cold chills along with it.

So what gives with all the sweating? Is it possible that my fever is breaking just as it started? I've never heard of that happening before, nor have I ever heard of someone's fever breaking throughout the day while they're awake, but I don't know what to think at this point. Even with the fan on me at full blast and freezing my ass off, I sweat. I don't get it. Is there anything I can do to relieve it a little bit? And has anyone else ever experienced such an extreme and strange symptom before?

It's becoming VERY annoying, I'm tired as hell and just want to sleep without waking up drenched, and to top it all of it's making it impossible to stay properly hydrated. I'd love to hear any insight anyone has about this madness...

EDIT: Also, I'm sure some of you will probably suggest taking a shower or bath to relieve it a bit, or taking Ibuprofen (I can't take acetaminophen). That was my first thought too, but I've already taken two showers today and have already taken around 800mg of Ibuprofen, and the sweating is still as bad as ever. Neither of those things made a dent in it... is there anything else that can be done?

I know this thread is kind of ridiculous but I REALLY need some freaking relief. And I'm sooo dehydrated... it's just getting really annoying and even a bit worrisome. :/

 

[CHiLD-0F-THE-BEAT]

I don't know if we're going to be able to help you much.

If it's getting worse and you need relief, the only suggestion I can think of is going to ER for treatment. Hopefully you get your blood results back soon.